Hamlet Melancholy, grief, and madness have pervaded the works of a great many playwrights, and Shakespeare is not an exception. The mechanicalregularities of such emotional maladies as they are presented withinHamlet, not only allow his audience to sympathize with the tragicprince Hamlet, but to provide the very complexities necessary inunderstanding the tragedy of his lady Ophelia as well. It is the poorOphelia who suffers at her lover's discretion because of decisions shewas obligated to make on behalf of her weak societal position. Hamletprovides his own self-torture and does fall victim to melancholia andgrief, however, his madness is feigned. They each share a commonconnection: the loss of a parental figure. Hamlet loses his father asa result of a horrible murder, as does Ophelia. In her situation ismore severe because it is her lover who murders her father and all ofher hopes for her future as well. Ultimately, it is also moredetrimental to her c! haracter and causes her melancholy and grief toquickly turn to irretrievable madness. Critics argue that Hamlet hasthe first reason to be hurt by Ophelia because she follows her father'sadmonitions regarding Hamlet's true intentions for their beginninglove. In Act 3, scene 1, line 91 Hamlet begins with his malicioussarcasm toward her. "I humbly thank you, well, well, well," he saysto her regarding her initial pleasantries (Johnson 1208). Before thisscene, he has heard the King and Polonius establishing a plan to deducehis unusual and grief-stricken behavior. Hamlet is well aware thatthis plan merely uses Ophelia as a tool, and as such, she does not havemuch option of refusing without angering not only her busybody fatherbut the conniving King as well. Hamlet readily refuses that he caredfor her. He tells her and all of his uninvited listeners, "No, not I, Inever gave you aught" (lines 94-95). Some critics stress, as does J.Dover Wilson, that Hamlet has a right to direc...
